Wonder Boy has a bit of an odd history. It sits alongside Alex Kidd as one of Sega’s more iconic second-string platformers (behind Sonic the Hedgehog, of course), yet inconsistencies with naming conventions, numbering, localisations gave the series a bit of a disjointed canon. Spotty appearances in other Sega compilations …
I know I’m not alone in my preference for vertical shmups, especially of the bullet hell variety. It’s hard to articulate well, but tracking bullets, reading patterns, and positioning your ship just feels so much more intuitive in a vert. But every now and then, a game will come along …
At first blush, Cotton Fantasy feels a lot like last year’s Cotton Reboot. It’s got a new story, new levels, new enemies and boss fights, but the same cute, playful vibe, same general approach, and similar (if slightly simplified) scoring mechanics to Reboot’s wonderfully exuberant revamp. It’s a sequel, after …
I write a lot about game preservation when reviewing re-releases, remasters, and the like. I’d say that’s arguably more important than the nostalgia or simple entertainment value—in an industry that’s so bad at preserving its own history, these kinds of releases are one of the better options we have for …
I wish I’d been as into shmups in 1997 as I am today, because playing G-Darius when it was brand new must have been absolutely mind-blowing. Even as I play it for the first time in 2021, in the form of a fairly rudimentary HD remaster on a little handheld …
There’s more Cotton on the way! As part of the series’ 30th anniversary celebrations—and following the success of the excellent Cotton Reboot! earlier this year—four classic cute-’em-ups, only released in Japan to date, will make their international debut: Cotton 100%, Panorama Cotton, Cotton 2, and Cotton Boomerang: Magical Night Dreams. …
Cotton isn’t exactly a household name, and that’s a damn shame. “Cute-’em-ups” are a delight, with their blend of super-cute presentation and classic shooter action, and 1991’s Cotton: Fantastic Night Dreams and its handful of sequels more than earned their place alongside the TwinBees and Fantasy Zones of the world. …
SEGA is never shy about re-releasing Sonic the Hedgehog and Shinobi games on every new console under the sun, but is oddly conservative when it comes to Wonder Boy / Monster World (different names due to localisation history, but the same series). With more focus on adventure and exploration and …
Last week, ININ Games announced the western release date for Wonder Boy: Asha in Monster World, and it’s not far away: May 28, 2021. Asha in Monster World is a remake of Monster World IV, which originally came out for Sega Mega Drive in Japan in 1994. That version never …
The Nintendo Switch version of the colourful JRPG Witch Spring 3 Re:Fine – The Story of Eirudy – will soon be making its way west, courtesy of ININ Games and Studio Artdink. There’s no release date just yet, but it will be released both digitally and physically, with a couple …
